Loading...
In the continuing search for ways to manage chronic low back pain (LBP), Chinese investigators conducted a single-blinded randomized trial of supervised aquatic exercise versus traditional physical therapy in 113 adults (age range, 18–65; mean age, 31) with moderate-to-severe LBP (mean duration, 13 months). Participants were randomized to supervised aquatic or traditional physical therapy in twice-weekly sessions for 12 weeks.
At 1-year follow-up, mean scores on a 24-point disability scale improved by ≈4 points more among patients in the aquatic-exercise group than among those in the traditional-exercise group — a clinically meaningful difference. On a 10-point pain scale, patients in the aquatic-exercise group improved by nearly 2 points mo…